RICHMOND -- State regulators said Thursday they may be within days of allowing Chevron to resume operations at its refinery in Richmond, which has been hobbled since a fire in August.

The state's California Occupational Safety and Health Program, commonly known as Cal/OSHA, has been spending the week at the refinery to go over dozens of items related to its operations.

"If we are assured that everything meets our standards, we could lift the order prohibiting use at the refinery," said Ellen Widess, chief at Cal/OSHA. "That could happen within a few days."

That means the refinery could resume full operations soon after that. The refinery has been operating at 60 percent capacity since the disastrous fire.

"We are working diligently through this process," said Erika Monterroza, a spokeswoman for Cal/OSHA.

San Ramon-based Chevron said this week that it has completed all repairs and replacements needed to resume work at the refinery.

The energy giant also said it has instituted a number of new safety measures at the refinery and other parts of its operations.

"If there is an issue or a safety hazard for workers, then of course we will address that with Chevron so it can be corrected and we can move forward," Monterroza said.

The restart of the refinery would likely come as welcome news for California drivers, who pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation.

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Gas prices spiked in the wake of the Aug. 6 fire at the refinery. Since then, the refinery has been operating at about 60 percent capacity. The fire knocked out the refinery's crude distillation unit, and the refinery has primarily been blending fuels for gasoline.

"The refinery's restart will certainly help rebalance the gasoline markets," said Pavel Molchanov, an analyst with Raymond James, an investment firm.